


Man at Sea

by MaggieMaybe160



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Episode: s14e11 Damaged Goods, Heavy Angst, M/M, Sea-longing, Season/Series 14 Spoilers, Unrequited Love, buried at sea, coffin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 04:25:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17542643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaggieMaybe160/pseuds/MaggieMaybe160
Summary: Dean's built himself the sigiled coffin to contain Michael. How does this end?





	Man at Sea

The doors to the bunker burst open. Sam looked up to find Castiel. His face was nothing but intense worry and his chest was heaving as a human’s might after running a marathon. He staggered to the railing and gripped it, his knuckles white.

“Where is he?” Cas asked, panic in his deep voice. Sam gulped down his own guilt at not having told the angel before…

“You alright, Cas?”

“I can hear him. Where is he?” Cas stumbled down the stairs and braced himself against the walls of the bunker as he made his way to Dean’s room. He didn’t have the patience for doors. He raised a hand and blasted the door off of its hinges.

“Cas!” Sam yelled but Cas was hearing something else. The angel was on his knees, his hands on his head as he sobbed.

“Dean!” Cas was visibly shaking. Sam had never seen him like this. If he was honest, he was scared seeing Cas like this. “I can’t feel him, Sam!”

“What do you mean?”

“I can _always_ feel him,” Cas choked, his hands on his chest as if to illustrate that their hearts were tethered. “I can’t feel him! Where is he?!”

“He’s gone,” Sam said, his voice cracking on the last word. Cas closed his eyes. His movements stopped. His entire body was still like Sam had snapped him out of it. This was more worrying. Cas slowly stood and turned to face Sam, his face lined with grief and fear.

“I can hear him,” Cas said in a voice that could cut diamonds. “Tell me where he is.”

 

 _Cas!_ The sound of Dean Winchester’s voice rang out in Castiel’s head. _I’m so sorry, Cas._

His heart was gripped with terror. The words were strained and sounded as if they were coming through gritted teeth.

“What do you mean you can hear him?” Sam gulped.

_Cas. Cas. Cas._

“I’m here,” Castiel said aloud despite knowing Dean couldn’t hear him. Sam’s eyebrows knitted as he watched the angel. Cas closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

_It’s just me. It’s just me. It’s just me._

“Something is blocking me from being able to locate him,” Cas said, starting to shake again.

“There were sigils on the box but I didn’t think-”

“Box?” Castiel’s eyes snapped open, his eyes very focused. Sam took a step away from Cas, obviously afraid. “Dean’s in a _box_?”

“Dean’s in a box,” Sam nodded.

“Sam Winchester, tell me where Dean is or I will hurt you.” The words were cold and said quickly. He wasn’t bluffing. His heart was in his eyes. Sam swallowed.

“He’s in a box at the bottom of the Pacific,” Sam answered in a rush when Cas took a threatening step toward him. He blinked and the angel was gone.

 

_Why am I still fighting? I could let him take over and he’d be trapped. I just want to say goodbye to you. I didn’t think I could handle saying goodbye to you. I regret it._

“Don’t say goodbye,” Cas said, staring out over the ocean.

_He’s going to kill me._

“I can fix this,” Cas answered. He knew Dean couldn’t hear him but a man could hope.

_Okay. I’m going to say goodbye._

“Don’t!” Cas yelled. A mother with her two children on the beach gave Cas a worried look and ushered her children further away from him. He ignored it, his heart scanning the ocean for it’s second half.

_Cas…_

“Don’t you dare, Dean Winchester,” Cas said, frantically searching for a box in the ocean. Found it.

Under the water, Cas gripped the box.

_I’m an idiot. I fell in love with an angel._

“What?” Cas wanted to scream but he was too busy trying to scrape off the wardings. They were etched into the metal expertly. He cursed his hunter.

_I let everything keep me away from you. I let myself lie to you. I let myself lie to me. I love you, Castiel._

“Dean,” the word formed on his lips but nothing came out but bubbles. He pounded on the coffin with his fists.

_That pounding better not be you, Cas. You can’t save me. Not this time. This time, I’m saving you._

“I’m here,” Cas tried to answer. His fingers pried helplessly at the edges of the coffin. He kicked and punched and begged. Nothing happened.

_Just live knowing you had me. You had me when you burst in that barn. You were so beautiful that night. You were nothing that I was expecting and everything that I needed._

“Stop saying goodbye! Dean!”

Suddenly, Cas was no longer in the ocean or under water. He was in a circle painted on the floor of the bunker’s dungeon. Sam stood in front of him with the summoning bowl. The floor was covered in the water from the sea.

“Dammit, Sam!” Cas sobbed.

 

Sam stared at Cas. The angel was broken. His fingers were broken and bleeding. He was covered in water, his dark hair dripping and plastered to his face. He was obviously crying, his entire body wracked with sobs.

“Why am I here?” Cas asked from the floor. His eyes seemed bluer as he stared up at Sam.

“I can’t trust you. Not right now.” Sam shook his head sadly and locked Cas into the dungeon. The angel threw himself at the locked door, startling Sam.

“I love him!” Cas screamed, his hands prying at the door. Sam turned and looked at the door. “I can hear him, Sam!”

“He told me about a book,” Sam said through the door. “I didn’t read it but I put it in there for you.”

“Sam!” Cas screamed as Sam retreated.

 

* * * * *

 

 _Cas!_ Dean’s voice gasped, as if emerging from the water.

“Dean!” Cas shouted. Sam could hear him. It had been a year and this was the first time in six months that this had happened. Every time it did, Sam had to drag Cas back to the dungeon, the energy to try to rescue Dean suddenly renewed.

_Cas! It hurts! Help me!_

“No!” Cas screamed as Sam and Jack dragged him through the bunker. His eyes lit bright blue and Jack countered, shoving his father into the wall, his own eyes bright yellow. Sam watched them struggle, powerless.

“He needs me!” Cas sobbed, falling to the floor. Sam dragged him the rest of the way to the dungeon. “He’s in pain!”

 _Cas…_ It sounded like Dean was weeping. The sound was new. Before it was all anger or defeat. He was finally crying. Cas slammed Sam into the wall and before Jack could catch up to stop him, he was back at the beach.

“Dean!”

 

* * * * *

 

_Remember…? Remember how you said you would be there forever? To watch me kill the world?_

Cas was tired. He whispered, “Yes.”

_I saved you from that. We’ll live forever side by side, unable to touch or talk. Forever._

Cas knelt down and placed the flowers on Sam’s grave. Jack put a hand on Cas’ shoulder.

“You can hear him, can’t you?” Jack asked gently. Over the years, it had continued and eventually Cas had learned to stop going to the beach. Cas didn’t answer, listening to Dean’s monologue instead. He looked toward the ocean even though it was over a thousand miles away.

“I’ll drive,” Jack said, taking the keys to the Impala from Cas.

“It’s been sixty years since I’ve been to see him,” Cas said, his voice grating. Jack winced at the anguish he could hear. “I need to see him,” Cas said softly.

“You haven’t seen him in seventy,” Jack corrected. “You only ever see his prison.”

“I need him.”

_I need you, Cas._

 

* * * * *

 

The voice was calling him to the ocean once again, like a siren or a mermaid. Cas came when he was called. He stood on the sand, his hair blowing in the wind as he stared over the blue water.

_Castiel, Angel of the Lord._

“Dean Winchester, love of my life.” Cas answered so softly it couldn’t be heard over the wind.

It had been over a century. Every now and then, Dean would wake up suddenly and in pain. He would call out to Cas, his voice rough with pain and fear.

 _Let me know you’re still here._ Dean begged. He was crying again. Cas listened.

“I always come when you call,” Cas promised silently, punching the coffin.

_Cas._

“Hello, Dean.”

 


End file.
